Many students believe that writing a dissertation is a piece of cake. On the other hand, some think that it is so extremely difficult that they would not be able to do it. Both assumptions are wrong. It is neither too difficult nor too easy. However, dissertation writing requires a lot of practice and style to ace it.
Following are a few things that you must keep in mind if you want to improve your dissertation writing skills:
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Choosing the right topic
Anyone can choose a topic related to his field. But the important question is, whether someone has chosen the right topic or not? But what is meant by the right topic for a dissertation?
Well, the right topic is the one which is first of all extremely relevant to your field. Remember, you have to extend or add something new to your field of study. Secondly, this topic must have a definite focal point i.e. it must not be too broad to work on. Otherwise, wider topics cannot be covered even under the huge word limit.
If you are not able to make this decision, you can always take online assistance. For example, an economics student can take economics dissertation help from dissertation writing services present online.
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Focusing on the aim of writing
When you are assigned writing a dissertation you must keep in mind that it should become your priority. Even if you have six months or a whole year to complete this task, do not put it until the end. Begin right away. Do not procrastinate at any cost.
If you have other academic stuff to complete too, you may seek online help for it too. For instance, if you have less time left to complete your dissertation and you have an online exam too, you can ask such services that take my online exam for me, while you can utilize that time in dissertation writing.
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Making a proper schedule
Many students find it difficult to choose when to work on their dissertation. Of course, dissertation writing is a task that needs a lot of time. So many students think that they should assign their off days to this task. But in this strategy, they waste the time at hand. They may even struggle in the end under the pressure of meeting the deadlines.
So always focus on time management by making a proper timetable. Time management is a strategic process of efficiently dividing your time in order to complete any activity or task (helpwithdissertation, 2021).
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Conducting a preliminary research
After deciding on a topic, you must not forget to conduct preliminary research. This step will help you to analyze whether the topic that you have chosen can be worked upon or not. Only if you find adequate material relevant to it then begin with it. Otherwise, you may want to choose a different topic.
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Maintaining a research diary
Whatever point comes to your mind, just note it down in your research diary. If you are thinking that you will start directly with the written part then you must know that dissertation requires a lot of brainstorming and practice. You cannot simply start writing it. Also, sometimes this research diary is demanded by the supervisor too.
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Maintaining a bibliographical diary
While you are conducting the preliminary research, note down the names of all the articles or journal entries that you would incorporate in your written dissertation. This can be done throughout the process of research. This step helps you to keep a track of things. Bibliographical diaries are also sometimes required to be submitted.
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Writing a proposal
The proposal makes the first impression on the supervisor. It will decide whether your topic will be approved or not. So write it properly. Make sure it presents your research idea properly and leaves no room for ambiguities.
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Conducting a thorough research
The key step towards good dissertation writing is good research. If you will conduct scanty research, your work will not be able to prove your point. Hence spend a lot of time conducting thorough research.
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Writing the introduction
Practice writing your introduction again and again. Never settle on the first introduction that you fabricated. Make changes in it to make it proper! This will be the cornerstone of your dissertation so it should be perfect.
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Providing appropriate literature review
When you are working on the literature review, keep in mind that you should only consult authentic secondary sources. Never rely on untrustworthy websites for collecting data for the literature review.
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Making a complete draft
After you have all the secondary resources, first form an initial draft. This means that the dissertation that you would write shall not be the one that you will submit as it is. This draft must be considered rough and appropriate changes should be made to it over a course of time.
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Sticking to the academic tone and format
While writing, do not forget to follow the correct academic tone and format. This may require a lot of practice as many people have never heard of formats like MLA, APA, Chicago, etc. Also, the academic jargon is something that might take a while for you to get a full grasp on. To adopt the style of academic writing practice as much as you can.
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Revision, editing, and proofreading
Revise your draft multiple times. Make amendments to make it perfect. Then edit and proofread it to eliminate all the errors. This must be done very often to get rid of all the mistakes.
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Providing citations
Never forget to provide the citations too for all the secondary resources that you have included. Otherwise, your work would come under the category of plagiarism. A citation is the acknowledgment that one document receives from another (Smith, 1981).
Conclusion
While writing a dissertation you must keep all the above-mentioned points in mind and practice them again and again to master the style of dissertation writing.
